THE SEVEN MOUNTAINS MANDATE
In 1975, Bill Bright, founder of
Campus Crusade, and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth with a Mission, had
lunch together. The night before God had given each of them the same dream of
seven mountains. The seven mountains represented the seven mind-molders that
shape our culture in society. If we can influence each of these areas for
Christ we will win the culture of our nation.
Os Hillman interviewed Loren Cunningham
in 2007 and he described that meeting as following:
"As we came in and greeted each other, {we were
friends for quite a while}, and I was reaching for my yellow paper that I had
written on the day before. And he said, 'Loren, I want to show you what God has
shown me!' And it was virtually the same list that God had given me the day
before. Three weeks later, my wife Darlene had seen Dr. Francis Schaeffer on TV
and he had the same list! And so I realized that this was for the body of
Christ.
I gave it for the first time in Hamburg, Germany at the big cathedral there to a
group of hundreds of young people that had gathered at that time. And I said,
"These are the areas that you can go into as missionaries.
Here they are: First, it's the
institution set up by God, the family. After the family was church, or the
people of God.
The third was the area of school,
or education.
The fourth was media, public
communication, in all forms, printed anl2d electronic.
The fifth was what I call
celebration, the arts, entertainment, and sports, where you celebrate within a
culture.
The sixth would be the whole area
of the economy, which starts with innovations in science and technology,
productivity, sales, and service.
The whole area we often call it
business but we leave out sometimes the scientific part, which actually raises
the wealth of the world. Anything new, like making sand into chips for a
microchip, that increases wealth in the world. And then of course prediction
sales and service helps to spread the wealth. And so the last was the area of
government.
Now government, the Bible shows
in Isaiah 33 verse 22 that there are three branches of government, so it's all
of the three branches: judicial, legislative, and executive. And then there are
subgroups under all of those seven groups. And there are literally thousands
upon thousands of sub-groups.
But those seven can be considered
like Caleb: 'Give me this mountain,' and they can be a 'mountain' to achieve
for God. Or they can be a classroom that you're going to disciple a nation in.
Because Jesus said, 'Go and disciple all nations.' And it also can affect us
because in those areas we can be changed, transformed by the Holy Spirit to be
effective missionaries into the area that God has called us into, and we will
see it as not just a job to get money to stay alive, but 'as the Father sent
Me, so send I you,' Jesus said.
Therefore, we can be
missionaries, where the word 'missionary' means 'one sent' and one sent of
Jesus, if you're a lawyer in a legal office, you are sent of God. You're
sent to be his missionary, or if you're in Hollywood, or you're working as a
dentist, or you're working as a doctor, everything you can do for the glory of
God. You may be in the area of foodservices. The Bible says in Zach 14:20 that
even the cooking pots will be called 'holy' to the Lord. That's foodservices or
transportation. Everything from a bus driver to an airplane pilot or to a car
dealer or whatever it is, it says even the veils of
horses will be called holy to the Lord.
So we make whatever we do, if we
do it as unto the Lord, a sanctified, or a holy work, it is Holy unto the Lord.
It's not just the pulpit on Sunday, that's one of the spheres. It's also all
the other spheres together, and that's how we achieve advancing the kingdom of
God."
All disciples of Jesus are living,
operating and working in these seven places or areas of society. They are not
called to be witnesses in these environments; they are already penetrated in
some of them as citizens of any nation. There is no something special, mystic
about this as shared by these three men of God. It is just obvious as Light of
the world and Salt of the earth each disciple should be conscious about the
mandate of Jesus to make disciples in all the world, beginning where they live,
work, study and are involved.
It is not to say now we have a special
revelation or are specially called to go to these areas of influence. You don’t
have to go. You are already there, in some areas or in all. Everyone lives in
family; practically everyone has a religion, and so on. We must consciously,
intentionally and purposely be a witness of Jesus, make disciples of every man,
woman, youth and children where you are.
In Revelation chapter 17 “seven
mountains or seven hills are mentioned” related to the entire systems of this
world.
9 “This
calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven
heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are
also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but
when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. 11 The
beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven
and is going to his destruction. 12 “The ten horns you saw are
ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will
receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have
one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They
will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he
is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and
faithful followers.” Revelation 17:9-14
Prophet Daniel describes the Kingdom of God by a mountain
that fills the whole Earth. Prophets Isaiah and
Micah describe with these words:
In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will
be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the
hills, and all nations will stream to it. Isaiah 2:2 and Micah 4:1
Micah continues:
“Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his
ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out
from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations
far and wide.
They will beat their
swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take
up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make
them afraid,
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
5 All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in
the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever.” Micah 4:2-5
“Listen to me, my people;
hear me, my nation:
Instruction will go
out from me;
my justice will become a light to the
nations.
5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
my salvation is on the way,
and my arm will bring justice to the nations.
The islands will look
to me
and wait in hope for my arm.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will
vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation will
last forever,
my righteousness will never fail. Isaiah 51:4-6
34 While
you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the
statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the
silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a
threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a
trace. But the rock that struck the
statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
44 “In the time of those kings, the God of
heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left
to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and
bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This
is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by
human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and
the gold to pieces.
“The great God has shown the king what will take place in
the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” Daniel 2:34, 35, 44, 45
36 Jesus
said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to
prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another
place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the
reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone
on the side of truth listens to me.”
John 18:36-37
15 The
seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which
said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his
Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
Revelation 11:15)
These mountains of influence in every
society, even in the most primitive societies they are found:
Family
Religion (not church, but religion in general)
Government
Business
Education
Media
Arts & Entertainment
Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, grew
up in Nazareth, walked all over the land of Israel and lived within its boundaries;
did He experience these seven areas as a citizen?
1)
Jesus
lived in FAMILY.
Family definition: a group consisting of parents and
children living together in a household.
2) Jesus had his own BUSINESS.
55 “Isn’t
this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers
James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t
all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they took offense at him. Matthew 13:55-57
Business definition: a person's regular occupation, profession, or trade. The
practice of making one's living by engaging in commerce.
3) Jesus attended synagogues according to the RELIGION of his parents and faced his biggest
clashes with religious people.
"When
the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him
were amazed. Mark 6:2
Religion definition: a particular system of faith and
worship; the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power,
especially a personal God or gods.
4) He grew in knowledge before men by
the standards of EDUCATION
of his parents at
the time.
45 When
they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.
46 After three days they found him in the
temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them
questions. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor
with God and man. Luke 2:45-46, 52
Education definition: the process of receiving or giving
systematic instruction by teachers, especially at a school or university. The act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. All areas of knowledge, science, and
technology are included in this area.
5) Jesus lived among his countrymen according to the customs of his land - attending
parties and celebrations; drinking wine,
attending houses and banquets,
according to ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT of
His days - songs and dances, etc.
31 Jesus
went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation?
What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the
marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and
you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ 33 For
John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He
has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and
you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Luke
7:31-35
On the third day a wedding took place
at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been
invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine
was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he
tells you.” 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used
by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.7 Jesus
said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told
them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of
the banquet.” They did so, 9 and
the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He
did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the
water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and
said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine
after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till
now.” John 2:1-10
Arts definition: the expression or application of human creative skill and
imagination; typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture,
producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional
power.
Entertainment
definition:
definition the action of providing or being provided with amusement or
enjoyment like sports, movies, theater, etc.
6) Since Jesus was born he has always been
persecuted by the rulers of His day. He paid
taxes, had contact with tax
collectors, healed authorities’ servants and children and
finally even having
been delivered by the religious to his death, he was crucified under the GOVERNMENT of Pontius Pilate during the reign
of Herod, under the Roman Emperor domain. The mountain of Politics
16 When
Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he
gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two
years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the wise
men.” Matthew 2:16
7 When
he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who
was also in Jerusalem at that time. Luke 23:7
When
Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a
place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). John 19:13”
Government definition:
the governing
body of a nation, state, or community; the political direction
and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.; political administration.
7) The rolls of Scripture, the letters of emperors,
the scrolls of the Greek philosophers,
the gospels, Paul's Letters, Peter, James,
John and Judas, horses, camels,
even messengers men and angels were the media of
biblical times, but the MEDIA
most excellent and perfect have been
and always will be the Word
of God, Jesus Christ
of Nazareth.
Media definition: the main means of mass communication
(especially television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet) regarded
collectively.
CHURCH AND MARKET
PLACE
15 My
prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them
from the evil one. John 17:15
Jesus chose His
disciples to be with Him, but
He did not take them out of the world.
He
appointed twelve-designating
them apostles, to be with him, sent out to preach
and have authority to cast out
demons. Mark 3:14, 15
Where did Jesus send them
out to preach? Where should they make disciples
of Jesus? Jesus sent them into the world, to the market place; to all areas of
society. Very few were separated to dedicate themselves exclusively to the Word
of God and prayers. It does not make sense
in light of the Gospel and the
book of Acts to consider that following
Jesus is related only to our
relationships in the church. We need to
understand that the Scriptures do
not just teach us to live all
the time in the Church or as Church but in the world, wherever we work, have
fun and live. God is not served by
human hands, as if he needed
anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. We live in places, both believers and
nonbelievers.
He made of one blood all the peoples, that populate
the whole earth; and he determined the
times set for them and the exact places
where they should live. Acts 17: 25-26
It is necessary to demystify these religious concepts that we live our lives simply
in the church and for the church. We are
the church (assembly, gathering) only
when we come together, two, three
or more, gathered in the Name of Jesus. Out of these gatherings we live in the middle of society in our cities and
communities as citizens of the Kingdom. As we are gathered as church as
anywhere else we are still within the
Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is
larger than the Church. The earth and heaven are in the Kingdom. We are the Light of the World and Salt of the Earth. We
are members of one another as the
Body of Christ and as sheep we relate to Jesus as our
Shepherd. However we relate to Jesus more as our King than as our Shepherd;
because we do not assemble all the time, but do business on our own much more
than as gathering as believers.
The Master and His disciples, the
Shepherd and the sheep, the Lord and His servants and the Firstborn and His
brothers, all together in one place or walking together, were Church. But when
they separate from each other and each one goes on his way, Jesus goes along and
wherever they go, the King and the kings, the High Priest and the priests, they
are the Kingdom.
If we
think these seven mountains or areas of influence of society is something special
we are missing the point. We are already living within the spheres of society
as our daily experience in this world. Churches prepare special programs of
evangelism to reach out people “outside the church”; because they don’t
understand that we ought to testify about Jesus where we work, we live, we
interact with other people as our life style. Jesus did not send His disciples
to make members of churches not even to plant churches. Jesus sent His
disciples to make disciples of the Kingdom. It is not about the Church, it is
about the Kingdom. He is the only One who builds His Church. And when disciples
come together they are His Church; the church dissolves when they are not
gathered though they remain His Body, but individually to manifest the Kingdom.
34 “A
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another. 35 By
this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35
SOME SCRIPTURES FOR EACH AREA:
FAMILY
21 “As for me, this is
my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is
on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth
will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of
their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
Isaiah 59:21
GOVERNMENT (POLITICS)
Your eyes will see the king in his
beauty
and
view a land that stretches afar.
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former
terror:
“Where
is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
Where
is the officer in charge of the towers?”
19 You will see those arrogant people no more,
people
whose speech is obscure,
whose
language is strange and incomprehensible.
20 Look on Zion, the city of our festivals;
your
eyes will see Jerusalem,
a
peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved;
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor
any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our
Mighty One.
It
will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty
ship will sail them.
22 For
the Lord is our judge,
the
Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
it
is he who will save us. Isaiah 33:17-22
The expression “the city of our
festivals” is related to ARTS AND
ENTERTAINMENT, the expressions “city officer” and “revenue” reminds us of
BUSINESS and clearly the expressions judge, lawgiver and king talks about
Judiciary, Legislative and Executive, branches of GOVERNMENT in many societies
of the world.
No one calls for justice;
no
one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies;
they
conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
So justice is driven back,
and
righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty
cannot enter.
Truth is nowhere to be found,
and
whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The Lord
looked and was displeased
that
there was no justice. Isaiah 59:4, 14, 15
“I will make mere youths their
officials;
children
will rule over them.”
The Lord
enters into judgment
against
the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the
plunder from the poor is in your houses. Isaiah 3:4, 14
The
following testimony of politician Elia Ravelomanantsoa explains the combination
of being a Christian and getting engaged in politics:
“A Christian must engage with the community, with the
goal of helping others. Commitment is one of the major roles of the Christian.
We must work for the society and demonstrate the power of our faith through our
actions. A Bible verse that I like to repeat is the one who reminds us that the
light is not made to be put under a bushel, but it should illuminate the entire
environment.
Every Christian has his own ministry. And although we
work for the same God, we each have a different mission. The parable of the
talents also explains very clearly that we will be called to account for all
the gifts we have received.
Only God can say why one is communication and politics,
and it will be another designer, worker or engineer ... But let's not be overcautious
or be nervous and go after what God has asked us to do.”
I do not force people to follow Jesus, the essence of my
personal faith, but I proclaim that our life with Christ should be the matrix
of values. If the foundational values are what
Jesus taught, were respected, many of the unacceptable behaviors and civil war
would never see the day. Humans finally find what they always desperately
sought. Jesus values as the vertebrae of society, and can propel the country if
they are respected by the community.”
RELIGION
“The multitude of your sacrifices—
what
are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of
rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in
the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who
has asked this of you,
this
trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your
incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I
cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed
festivals
I
hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I
am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I
hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I
am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
16 Wash and make
yourselves clean.
Take
your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop
doing wrong. Isaiah 1:11-15, 16
EDUCATION
Learn
to do right;
seek justice.
Defend
the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead
the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17
BUSINESS
“Lift
up your eyes and look about you:
All
assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and
your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your
heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to
you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
young
camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
bearing
gold and incense
and
proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
7 All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you,
the
rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings on my altar,
and
I will adorn my glorious temple..
Isaiah 60:4-7
3 and
because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Acts 18:3
You
who bring good news to Zion, GO UP ON A
HIGH MOUNTAIN. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice
with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!" Isaiah 40:9
For from Him and through Him and for Him
are all things.
To
him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:36
THE EIGHTH MOUNTAIN IS THE KINGDOM. '
"Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever." Daniel 2:35, 45
